


Bastille

by Swordy



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Chill XV, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 07:05:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13429461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swordy/pseuds/Swordy
Summary: Not all prisons have bars.





	Bastille

Gladio knows he’s a lot to be thankful for.

Born into a life automatically granted privilege by virtue of his last name, he was raised by parents who love him, in one of the finest houses in Insomnia. Although he lost his mother too young, his father works hard to ensure he wants for nothing and he has a little sister who adores him. As an Amicitia, he has a link to the royal family stretching back generations, which affords him opportunities others can only dream of. Without wishing to sound vain, he’s tall, good looking and the picture of health and virility.

At twenty-three years old, he’s got the world at his feet. He’s the sworn shield of Noctis Lucis Caelum, successor to the throne. The king’s shield is more than a mere ceremonial title and he feels and values every inch of the honour and responsibility that’s been bestowed on him. The Amicitias have held that title for generations, and he has every intention of making his family proud. He knows he can do a good job as Noct's shield. He’s strong and dedicated and not afraid to die for his king, and he’s confident that his name will join his father's and his grandfather's in the annals of history as one who has devoted his life to the kingdom of Lucis.

However, the time-honoured traditions of the Amicitia family are not without their drawbacks. In order to continue the line of succession now he is of age, he is expected to find a suitable mate, one of similarly distinguished lineage who will produce for him an heir. And there are no shortage of female suitors.

Even without his good looks and personable manner there would be a steady stream of well-to-do Lucian families keen to put forward their best and brightest daughters, but with these obvious boons, the daughters themselves are genuinely interested in making his acquaintance. He’s endured dinners, trips to the theatre, walks around the palace gardens, all in the name of trying to secure a bride to continue the Amicitia line and provide a son who can be shield for the next Caelum.

In training, he’s complained to his friends about this endless cycle of pre-arranged engagements and the responses have always been derisory eye rolls or sarcastic expressions of sympathy for his _terrible_ predicament. He gets it, truly, because while his friends have to search for companionship in the old-fashioned way, he gets everything brought to him on a plate. Eventually he gives up trying to get his friends to understand, but it doesn’t change the unhappy situation he’s found himself in.

For choosing a bride for himself would be tantamount to placing himself in prison. There would be no locks or bars to keep him there; there would be no _need_ for them. In their place lies centuries of tradition, a sense of duty and a desire to please the father who means so much to him. And he wants to want this. He _does_. He wants to continue this life of privilege, where people look up to him, envy him even. He doesn’t want to be a disappointment to his family or a disgrace to his name. But the heart wants what the heart wants.

And his heart wants another.

Ignis Scientia is Noct's chamberlain. On the surface, it would appear like they have very little in common, but Ignis possesses a similarly extensive list of enviable qualities that a person would have to be blind not to notice. Gladio noticed, from the first moment they were introduced even though they were little more than children. Over time they’ve grown and changed, but the years have done little to dissuade him from his feelings toward the other man. For a long time, he believed those feelings to be unrequited. The happiest day of his life was the day he realised that they weren’t.

Ignis understands prisons now too, and that’s totally Gladio's fault. Whereas Gladio is expected to marry in order to continue the line of Amicitias, Ignis's life is destined to remain a solitary one, married only to his job advising Lucis's king - something Ignis had accepted willingly until the day Gladio had kissed him. So of course, Gladio feels guilty for this. He’s awakened feelings and wants and desires that Ignis had resigned himself to a life without and it haunts him. But like himself, he doesn’t want to see Ignis caged in a life that is denying who he is and what he should want from it. Gladio's never been a big believer in the afterlife or reincarnation, so if they’re only here once, happiness surely shouldn’t be an unobtainable goal for either of them, a trinket placed on a shelf out of reach, for the enjoyment of others only.

They’ve talked about it long into the night on a number of occasions. They’ve both tried to convince themselves that they’re okay with their lot - that they should be grateful for the lives they do have. Laughable really, since every attempt they've ever made to stay apart has failed spectacularly. They are magnetic poles - north and south - powerfully drawn together by some unseen force, and they have ultimately come to accept that they need to at least _try_ to fight for their future, even if the odds are insurmountable.

And they're intelligent men; they fully understand the ramifications of what they’re about to do as they stand on the threshold of Regis's office, waiting to be invited in. Gladio glances across and nods; Ignis doesn’t smile, but his hand finds Gladio's and gives it a quick squeeze. From inside the room, Clarus Amicitia calls out 'come in'. Both men in the office are presumably keen to find out why this meeting has been requested.

Ignis reaches for the handle, but not before he takes a deep, centering breath.

“Here goes nothing,” Gladio murmurs.

They’ve no particular plan. All they can do is lay bare their feelings, and hope their audience is sympathetic to their plight. It’s the only chance they’ve got of saving themselves from their respective prisons.

They go on in.

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tsunderegrumblings on tumblr, who requested gladnis+prison as a prompt for [this](https://hellomynameisswordy.tumblr.com/post/169730449294/send-in-a-word-and-ill-write-a-drabble-or%20) post. It ended up slightly longer than a Drabble...
> 
> Kudos/ comments are always gladly received. I can be found on tumblr here @hellomynameisswordy


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